To help the community, we must first help each other. While still in high school, P S Nadini decided to help children understand the essence of literature, and managed to get her friends on board. This then become the Keni Project — a one-of-a-kind initiative that aims to set up libraries in schools situated in slum areas. The inception of Keni goes back to when Nandini and her friend Meera Viswanathan would talk about doing something for the community. “Nandini decided to form a team, which is where I came in with Sanjana, Dravina and Jayaraman (JJ) and we formed the core team,” says Meera.
“The literal meaning of Keni is kenaru (well in Tamil) which symbolically represents the depth of knowledge. We all dig deep, sometimes even out of curiosity,” explains Meera. What’s cooler about this initiative is the fact that funds were never a problem, as the Founder received `30,000 after winning The Change Makers’ Conference in 2013. From there on, the Keni team was unstoppable. They began hunting for books and left no page unturned. “Over the years we’ve received various books — even from donors from as far away as Dubai, Books are often donated by people; even though they’re not always new, they are going to make a difference to a child. We also sell old newspapers and use the money to buy books,” they say, about the storehouse of knowledge that is Keni.
Although their planning was meticulous, the team had its fair share of issues in the beginning. They struggled to convince schools to agree to setting up a lagoon of cognizance. They set up their first library in Karpagavalli Vidyalaya, Mylapore — which was their first big win. The team thought it was important to help kids understand the process of learning and unlearning — through weekly sessions where English was taught through crosswords and puzzles. After a few sessions, the team observed the exemplary progress of the students. They were able to understand English, recognize words, and form phrases. “They started to go and pick out books, and that’s all we wanted; for them to be passionate enough to take a book and read it. The dream of Keni is to spread curiosity among children and make them want to read books,” says Meera.
Class Vroom: The sessions involve laptops, games, and any activity that engage students and make learning interesting
Sweet beginnings: The Keni Project set up its first library in Karpagavalli Vidyalaya, Mylapore
Reach out: www.facebook.com/thekeniproject